Johnson allowed two hits and a walk while striking out two over four scoreless innings in Sunday's start against the Pirates.
Johnson hasn't allowed a run in three of his four Grapefruit League starts, making manager Alex Cora more comfortable with the idea of Johnson as a temporary member of the rotation that opens the regular season. The left-hander, who was going to be used as a reliever, is starting while the Red Sox evaluate the progress of injured starters Steven Wright (knee), Drew Pomeranz (forearm) and Eduardo Rodriguez (knee). All three could open the season on the disabled list, which would grant Johnson at least one start. In an era when everyone's throwing hard, Johnson goes the other way. He works in the low-90s and needs to change speeds and mix his pitches to be effective. When the rotation is back at full strength, Johnson will move to the bullpen.